A button-type secondary battery includes an electrode assembly including a first separator, a negative electrode, a second separator, and a positive electrode that are sequentially stacked and wound, wherein ends of the first separator and the second separator are disposed closer to a center of the wound electrode assembly than ends of the positive electrode and the negative electrode; an electrolyte; and a can in which the electrode assembly and the electrolyte are accommodated. In the electrode assembly, an expansion member is attached to at least one central end of the first separator or the second separator, and the expansion member is expanded by absorbing the electrolyte.

An electrode body producing apparatus is provided with a rotary base body, stacking table portions provided on its outer peripheral end portion, and a workpiece transferring section to transfer an unplaced workpiece on an object placement surface of a post-placed laminated body and others. A height adjusting portion of the stacking table portion changes a radial height of a table surface so that a radial height of the object placement surface becomes a predetermined radial height at least at a workpiece transferring angular position, and the workpiece transferring section transfers and places the unplaced workpiece on the object placement surface in synchronization with rotation movement of the object placement surface at the workpiece transferring angular position.

A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes an electrode assembly and an electrolyte solution. The electrode assembly includes a laminated assembly. The laminated assembly includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator. The separator separates the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate from each other. The separator includes a porous resin layer. The porous resin layer includes a polyolefin-based material. The negative electrode plate includes a negative electrode active material layer. The negative electrode active material layer includes negative electrode active material particles. The negative electrode active material layer is in direct contact with the porous resin layer. The negative electrode active material layer has a puncture resistance of more than or equal to 0.60 N/mm.

A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is provided with a wound-type electrode body. A negative electrode has: a negative electrode collector; and negative electrode mixture layers that are formed on both lateral surfaces of the negative electrode collector, while containing at least a negative electrode active material and a binder. The negative electrode mixture layers include an inner negative electrode mixture layer that is positioned on the inner circumference side of the negative electrode collector and an outer negative electrode mixture layer that is positioned on the outer circumference side. The swelling degree of the binder contained in the outer negative electrode mixture layer is higher than the swelling degree of the binder contained in the inner negative electrode mixture layer; and the outer negative electrode mixture layer contains a binder that has a swelling degree of from 150% to 250%.

A charging and discharging device including a plurality of pressing plates and at least one spacer for supporting a gas pocket of a battery cell to prevent gas pocket interference between battery cells and increase the space utilization rate of the gas pocket during the formation process of the battery cell.

A nonaqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery includes an electrode body, a nonaqueous electrolyte, and a rectangular box-shaped battery case accommodating the electrode body and the nonaqueous electrolyte. The electrode body includes a positive electrode including a positive base and a positive composite material layer, a negative electrode including a negative base and a negative composite material layer, and a porous resin separator disposed therebetween. The electrode body has a low profile when the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator are laminated and rolled. When spring constant of the nonaqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery with a load of 316 to 210 N/cm.sup.2 and 95 to 74 N/cm.sup.2 is respectively referred to as spring constant H and spring constant L, the ratio L/H is 0.34 or greater and 0.41 or less. A resistance increase rate between before and after a square wave test is less than or equal to 1.17.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve various battery can designs. In general, the battery can design includes two fitted surfaces oriented opposite each other and seam welded together to form an enclosure in which a battery stack is located. To form the enclosure, the two fitted surfaces are welded together along the large perimeter. Other swelling-resisting advantages may also be achieved utilizing the battery can design described herein including, but not limited to, the ability to modify one or more can wall thicknesses to control a pressure applied to the battery stack by the can, overall reduction in wall thickness of the can through the use of stronger materials for the can surfaces, additional supports structures included within the can design, and/or bossing or other localized thinning of surfaces of the can.

The present disclosure provides a secondary battery configured such that an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a separator, and a negative electrode is housed in a battery case together with an electrolyte solution, wherein the battery case is made of metal, and a conductive layer made of one selected from the group consisting of a conductive carbon layer, a conductive polymer layer, and a conductive epoxy layer is formed on a part or the whole of the inner surface of the battery case coming into contact with the electrolyte solution.

A separator sheet adhesion apparatus is configured to form an electrode stack including first and second separator sheets, first electrodes disposed on and spaced apart along the first separator sheet by a first predetermined distance to define first separator spacing portions, second electrodes disposed on and spaced apart along the second separator sheet by a second predetermined distance to define second separator spacing portions. The apparatus includes an adhesion unit configured to press together and thereby adhere the first separator spacing portions and the second separator spacing portions at predetermined intervals corresponding to the first and the second predetermined distances, a support aligned with the adhesion unit and configured to support the electrode stack when the first and the second spacing portions are being pressed together. The adhesion unit includes an optional elastic material that contacts the first spacing portions during the pressing of the spacing portions.

An alkaline storage battery includes a plurality of foil electrodes that each have a metal foil and an active material layer. The active material layers are arranged in such a manner that adjacent two of the active material layers face each other. Separators which are each interposed between the adjacent two of the active material layers. The separators are each a nonwoven fabric including fibers as protruding portions. The active material layers have a large number of active material particles which adhere to each other, and spaces formed between the active material particles, as fitting portions. The fibers are engaged with the spaces while the fibers enter the spaces.